Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Connor Brown played for a powerful Toronto Marlboros Minor Midget AAA team that featured seven players who were taken in the 2012 NHL Draft. In 80 games he scored 25 goals with 44 assists and had 16 penalty minutes. Brown was selected by the Erie Otters in the 13th round (251st overall) of the 2010 OHL Priority Draft.

2010-11: Brown skated for the St. Michael’s Buzzers in the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. In 49 regular season games he scored 17 goals with 22 assists and had 18 penalty minutes. The Buzzers finished fifth in the OJHL South Division and lost in the playoff qualifying round. In three playoff games Brown had 1 assist.

2011-12: Brown was the leading scorer for Erie in his first OHL season on a team that finished with the league’s worst record. He played all 68 games for the Otters and had 25 goals with 28 assists and 14 penalty minutes; finishing minus-72 as Erie won ten games . Ranked 110th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings, he was selected by Toronto in the sixth round (156th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.

2012-13: Brown led the Erie Otters in scoring for the second straight season on a team that once again finished last in the OHL’s Midwest Division. A team captain as an 18-year-old, he scored 28 goals with 41 assists in 63 games and was -11 with 39 penalty minutes. The Otters missed the playoffs after finishing with the OHL’s second-worst record.

2013-14: Brown was the OHL’s leading scorer in his final season of junior hockey. Playing on an explosive Erie team that had the league’s leading goal scorer in overage forward Dane Fox and explosive rookie Connor McDavid, Brown scored 45 goals and led the OHL with 83 assists, finishing +44 with 22 penalty minutes in 68 regular season games. He scored 20 goals on the Otters’ power play. Erie finished second to eventual Memorial Cup runner-up Guelph in the Midwest Division and lost to the Storm in the Western Conference finals. Brown scored 8 goals with 10 assists ands was +1 with 8 penalty minutes in 14 playoff games. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs in November 2013.

2014-15: Brown attended training camp with the Maple Leafs before being assigned to Toronto’s AHL affiliate. The Toronto native led the Marlies in scoring as a rookie, scoring 21 goals with a team-leading 40 assists in 76 games. He was +24 with 10 penalty minutes as the Marlies finished second in the North Division. Toronto lost to Grand Rapids in an opening round playoff series. Brown scored 1 goal with 3 assists and was -2 with 2 penalty minutes in five playoff games.

2015-16: Brown made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs in a March 17th game against Florida, skating in seven games with Toronto after being re-called from the AHL’s Marlies. He scored 1 goal with 5 assists and was -2, averaging 15 minutes of ice time with the Leafs. Brown scored 11 goals with 18 assists and was +10 with 8 penalty minutes in 34 regular season games for the Marlies. Toronto finished first in the North Division, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals against Hershey. Brown was tied for the team lead with 7 goals through 14 playoff games and was -5 with 2 assists and 6 penalty minutes through 14 playoff games.

Talent Analysis

Brown is a highly-skilled, small forward who has a grit to his game and plays with heart, determination, and an unmatched work ethic. He has a knack for scoring goals, but also has strong vision that allows him to set-up up teammates for offensive chances. Brown's skating remains an area of focus and he will need to continue to become a quicker forward to find success at the professional level. Defensively his game is a work in progress.

Future

Brown made his NHL debut with Toronto late in the 2015-16 season and was among the team goal scoring leaders for the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate in the Calder Cup playoffs. Heading into the third year of his original entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs, he will look to earn a roster spot with Toronto in training camp. A consistent scorer both in junior hockey and in the AHL, he is inconsistent at times in the supplementary areas of his game. Brown projects as a second or third line winger capable of contributing offensively. He is equally likely to spend the bulk of his career at the minor pro level or receive lucrative contract offers in Europe.

Photo: Defenseman Matt Finn has been strong throughout the 2013-14 regular season and postseason for the Guelph Storm. Finn was selected 35th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Aaron Bell/CHL Images)

The playoffs are still going on for many prospects in the Toronto Maple Leafs' system, while the NHL players had to hang up the skates weeks ago. With the Memorial Cup and the Calder Cup tournaments still underway, Hockey's Future will hand out our hardware for those prospects who distinguished themselves for better and for worse.

Photo: Erie Otters forward and Washington Capitals prospect Andre Burakovsky has had a smooth transition to the North American game, notching 87 points in 57 games in 2013-14 (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

The top 10 NHL-drafted wingers currently playing in the OHL aren’t overly large (a couple of notable exceptions, of course), but this year’s crop represents a collection of players who generally are solid defensively (or at least have shown that capability when they put their minds to it), and have the hands to chip in once in a while.

Photo: Defenseman Martin Marincin has had a solid 2013-14 season split between the AHL and NHL. Marincin was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the 2010 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

The Spring edition of the Hockey's Future ranking of the Top 50 NHL prospects begins with the prospects ranked 41-50. This group features several prospects on the verge of cracking an NHL roster on a full-time basis, as well as more recent draft picks who are finding breakout success in 2013-14.

Photo: Defenseman Morgan Rielly has experienced a lot of ups and downs in his first NHL season. Rielly has recorded two goals and 18 assists through 54 games with the Maple Leafs. (courtesy of Abelimages/Getty Images)

Outside of Nazem Kadri and the soon-to-graduate Morgan Rielly, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been void of big-name prospects for a few years. Moreover, they have lacked the prospect depth of most other NHL teams, either as a result of trading picks or players not yet meeting their potential.

Photo: Forward Carter Verhaeghe is one of several high-scoring junior prospects for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Verhaeghe was selected in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs' dynamic duo of Connor Brown and Carter Verhaeghe are taking the OHL by storm this season. The two are among the most offensively gifted prospects in the Maple Leafs system, though both still have ways to go before becoming NHL players.